The Long Game
by D.L. Hanson
Summary: Set 4 years after Girl meets Bear, Maya is now at NYU and she's not so little anymore. Just a simple fic that guides Joshaya together (finally)
1. Chapter 1

The Long Game

She stood completely still, staring at the big, gray stone arch. It was appropriate, the gateway leading to the next phase in her life. There were swarms of people walking around her, some as lost as she was, and some who already knew their way. There were people reuniting with friends after a long summer and there were new friends being made. Maya saw a pair of girls run up and hug each other like they had been apart for decades. She smiled to hold back the pain, _I wish Riley was here_.

But Riley wasn't here. For the first time in a long time, Riley wasn't here standing next to her. She has decided to go to Boston University (no coincidence because Lucas was going to Tufts). She wasn't angry at Riley for leaving, just a little lonely. But Maya's a big girl now, eighteen; and she understood that things don't always go as planned anymore. Even though they had planned to stay together through college, to room together and to endure together, sometimes life will ruin your plans. But life always seems to have its reasons for doing so, so Maya has learned to give life the benefit of the doubt. Besides, she knew Riley would still always be there for her and vice versa. But adults can have each other's backs in spirit rather than in person.

Maya averted her eyes back to the arch. She finally did it. After endless hours of extra studying, tutoring, she finally got her grades up high enough to be accepted. And then even more hours honing her art skills so that her portfolio was accepted by the art program. It was a hard three years, but she held on because she really wanted to make it here. Ever since the day at the ski lodge, she knew this was where she needed to be. She inhaled the open city air, a mix of ocean, pollution, freshly opened backpacks and BO. She loved it.

Granted she didn't just go to NYU for Josh. She did actually consider the fact that the heart of New York City was the best place to study art and that NYU had an amazing art program. But Josh was certainly the cherry on top on the sundae…And the sprinkles, whip cream and chocolate syrup…and the waffle cookie. _Mmm…_ she thought, _waffle cookie._

But NYU was a big school. And they're completely different majors. Not to mention he's a senior now and she's just a freshman. The chances of them bumping into each other are slim to none. At least if she let things proceed naturally. If she hunted him down, obviously it would be different story. But they agreed three years ago to just let things happen, to play the long game. Maya had to respect that choice.

The long game… Every time she thought about it she cursed herself. The long game, she scoffed, should've taken the six weeks when she had the chance. At least that way she might have gotten a bit more conversation out of him. For the last three years, even though they saw each other pretty often, it was always the same four sentences.

"Hey, how are you?"

"I'm alright, how 'bout you?"

"Still kicking, long game?"

"Yep, long game."

And then an extra long awkward stare and a lingering hand shake that she never wanted to let go of. Yeah well she was officially sick of the long game; like lying in a hospital bed on life support sick of it. Sometimes, if she got lucky, they'd have an actual conversation. Mostly just about life and how it was changing. He was easy to talk to, and through him, she was always able to work through her problems. Like he always said, he's pretty good at watching people. And he was pretty good and deducing what Maya was thinking before she even managed to figure it out. Made for a good therapist at times. But the one thing they never talked about was love. No stories about dating or relationships, either about them or about other people. It was like the topic was taboo. Maya always considered asking but, then she realized it would probably hurt less if she didn't know.

Of course, it's not like she didn't go out with anyone over the last three years. She was playing the long game but she wasn't a nun. But eight dates with five different guys and a senior prom with Zay later, she still couldn't get Uncle Boing out of her head or out of her heart. She laughed at herself. If that's what happened to her over the last three years, then she couldn't even begin to happen what happened to Josh over the last three years. He's probably half-forgotten she even existed. (Yes, she understood fractions now).

Maya took one more deep breath before walking underneath the arch, passing into a new world. She came to campus extra early so she had an hour to walk around and figure out where her classes were because she actually had to be in one. As she walked past one building to the next, hunting for the building names, she continued to remind herself her real reason but coming to NYU. _I'm not here for Josh_. She lied to herself for the ten thousandth time. _I'm here for art._ She walked around aimlessly for awhile until she found the building where her first class was going to be held. Checking her phone, she still had 20 minutes before class started. So she propped herself on a bench next to the door and pulled out a sketchbook. For a freshman, Maya lucked out. She actually got to select a couple of art major classes along with the core curriculum she's required to take. And her first class of the day was Intro to Drawing: Perspective and Light. For once, she wanted to be a good student, so she started to sketch.

Just a few minutes later, she felt a pair of hands cover her eyes. They were too large to be female, so she could instantly guess who it was. She couldn't help but smile. _Guess I don't have to hunt him down after all._ She waited but the pair of hands didn't say anything. So she finally cracked, "Who is it?" She sang teasingly.

"Well who do you want most to be here?" His deep voice melted her. Oh how she missed that voice. Even though they had seen each other just a week ago when they were sending Riley off at the airport, it was never enough. She was so hooked on this drug, there would never be enough.

"Hi Uncle Boing." She smiled her coy smile. He chuckled and moved his hands away. coming around from the back of the bench. Her eyes stared at him with the hopeful, longing gaze that he just couldn't resist. From the first time she said she liked him four years ago, Josh knew it was silly. That it was just a teenage phase, that it would pass. He never had any intention of entertaining her misguided infatuation. But it was always the way she looked at him when she said she liked him, looked him straight in the eye, never wavering, never backing out. She always stared right into his heart just as she was doing now. Against those eyes, Josh couldn't help but feel weak.

But she never shook the habit of that ridiculous nickname. He laughed and he propped himself down next to her on the hard wooden beams of the bench, "Would you stop calling me that?"

"I will," she teased, "as soon as I have another name for you."

He smiled. She was already beginning her flirty teasing; trying to bait him into reacting. But he knew better. He knew it was her defense mechanism, to play off her true feelings. He knew that she believed if she pretended to joke, it might hurt less. He also knew from the teary-eyed twinkle in her eyes that it never hurt any less. "Oh yeah, and what other name did you have in mind?"

"Boyfriend, husband, eternal soulmate forever, I'm really not picky."

She always left him at a loss, "How about just Josh?"

"You know you'll never be just Josh to me." There it was again, that teary, blue-eyed twinkle that always made his heart sink a little, made him feel guilty for stealing a young girl's heart. Against those eyes, suddenly the cool Uncle Josh became a speechless buffoon. Before he knew it, he was gazing at her too long, too silent again.

"So! First day! You excited?" Changing the subject was his only choice.

 _Damn it,_ Maya thought. He managed to slip away again. "Yeah, actually I am. Which is weird for me, since it's school."

"You're going to find college is a little different than normal school. Especially when you get more major classes in your schedule."

"What about you? Don't you have class?"

Josh leaned back and pulled his phone out of his jean pocket, "In about… 5 minutes."

"So shouldn't you get going?"

"Well," He grinned, "it happens to be in that building right there. So I think I'll make it." He winked."You here?" gesturing to the building behind them.

"Yeah."

He chuckled again. Only then did Maya noticed how low his voice had gotten. It was deep before but you could still hear the high pitched squeals unique to the Matthews. But now… he's grown up again. Which while entirely pleasing to the ear, made Maya's heart sink a little because once again, he was just a a few steps too far ahead. "Figures you'd be in the art building." He remarked, "Do you know when you get out?"

"Umm," She pulled a crumpled piece of paper out of her pocket. It took her a second to find what she was looking for, turning the messy page left and right. "It says 2 hours, I think."

"Cool, I'll see you when you get out then?" He stood, "We can grab some lunch?"

Did he just offer to have lunch with her? Why did he do that? Why did he just do that? Was he just being nice because Maya was his niece's best friend? What is happening here? Questions flooded into her head in abundance. But the most interesting part, was the same questions were in his head as well. Along with asking himself, _what the hell did I just do?_

He was always stepping away across the courtyard to his building. Walking backwards and smiling back at her while he was waiting for a response. If she didn't say something soon, he would be too far gone. No, she wasn't going to let him slip away again. "Yeah, I'd like that."

"Cool, see you later." And he turned around and disappeared into the stone building across from her.

 _Yeah, see you later Josh._

* * *

 _I'll be honest, this has to be the worst writing I've done in... well ever. I wanted to go a quick one shot and call it a day but then realized i couldn't come up with a feasible plot line for these two to get together that quickly. After all, they are playing the long game. So this is just going to have to be a few chapters longer. I did not proofread at all and i apologies but, well i know you'll all deal. I ship Joshaya so hard... so hard . R and R Pls and TY_


	2. Chapter 2

As he walked away from her towards his building, he kept asking himself the same question. Why did he just ask her to lunch? What was he thinking? Now, she'll definitely think he was leading her on. Obviously, he has lost his mind. He pulled the handle on the door and swung it open, but before stepping inside, Josh turned his head back. There she was. already sketching again. He smiled, just one lunch couldn't hurt right?

Maya was scribbling in her sketch book, trying hard not to look up at Josh. She was older now, more mature, so she had to be better at holding herself together. No more creepy, lovesick buffoon screaming from her, she's a big girl now. And maybe if she kept telling herself that, someday it'll be true.

But that someday wasn't today. Her first college art class and Maya couldn't concentrate at all. For christ's sake, Uncle Boing just asked her to lunch. How could she possibly be calm! The entire class she could feel her phone vibrating, knowing that Riley was on the other end freaking out as much as she was. But her professor was very specific about phones. There was already one victim early on whose phone was now sitting on the desk at the front of the room. Riley would just have to wait.

Their first assignment was a free for all. Just draw whatever you like. As always with introductory art classes, there are two groups of people. The freshman art majors who actually want to be there, and the seniors who just need a few miscellaneous creative participation credits to graduate. So as always on the first day, the professors have to figure out who's who.

Maya, as usual, took the assignment to the next level. She took the charcoal and started to scribble all over the 24x18 inch page in front of her. She had no idea what she was drawing. She just let all of the confusion and anxiousness guide her hand. The professor came up to look her piece. "Something on your mind Ms. Hart?"

She looked up at the man. You could tell he was bald but had a thick beard and a beret on. "Yeah, you could say that."

"And who is it?"

"What do you mean who?" She turned back to the page and continued to slash marks on the page with so much force, she was creating little divots in the paper, giving the drawing a whole new texture to it. "I wasn't drawing anyone. They're just scribbles." She mumbled.

"You sure about that Ms. Hart? Because when I take a step back," The professor took Maya by the shoulders and made her take a few steps back. "I seem to see something different."

It was then that Maya saw. Up close, they just looked like scribbles but when she took a step back. She saw the areas on the page that were darker, with more lines, that made up his hair. And the parts that were lighter for his cheeks. And the deep indents she made where his smile should be. _Shit_. Without even realizing it, she drew Josh. The professor raised an eyebrow at her. "So, if you weren't drawing anyone, then what is it?"

She took a moment to think. "Just something I've been trying to figure out for a long time."

* * *

Maya took her time getting out of class. As much as she wanted to go to lunch with Josh she was also much too nervous. Maybe if she took long enough getting out, he'd get fed up waiting for her and just leave. She opened the door, squinting at the sun suddenly shining in her face. Once her eyes adjusted she looked at the bench she was sitting in before class. It was empty. Guess he really did just leave. She stood, looking at the empty bench, half disappointed half relieved. Why would he want to go to lunch with someone like her anyway? It was just probably one of those things people say to be courteous, he didn't really mean it.

"Hey," Maya whipped her head around so fast she got a little dizzy. There he was, leaning against the wall in his beanie, black t-shirt, and gray jeans. "You ready to go?"

He chuckled as she turned. Watching her walk out of the building, he has seen her look of disappointment. And he couldn't help but feel charmed by the expression she had now that she saw him standing there. She looked like… she was grateful; grateful that he actually meant what he said about lunch, that he was there. It was a good look on her.

"Yeah, where are we going?"

"I know a half decent place, come on." He pushed on the wall with his foot and looped around her, leading the way. She followed close behind him, watching the concrete in front of her as they walked, satisfied seeing their shadows next to each other.

They took a short walk around the block. Josh was taking her somewhere he knew she would like. They finally reached their destination and Josh stopped short on the sidewalk without warning. Maya, who was still watching their shadows next to each other walked right into him, "Ow,"

"This is it. This is the place." He beamed, obviously proud of himself.

She looked up. **Dorado Tacos**. She turned back to him with disbelief. How? How could he possibly have known that she was craving tacos? How did he know how to make her knees weak every time?

They sat down and Josh ordered a ridiculous amount of tacos for the two of them. As if they were only a quarter. And there, sitting in the window of a taco joint in New York City with their giant pile of tacos, Josh and Maya were finally able to enjoy some time alone together; the first time in a long time.

He asked about her first day as a good caring uncle of her best friend would, and she told him it was alright, as a Maya would. It was nice, she was finally able to just talk to him about everything and nothing at the same time. She finally understood why Riley and Lucas loved it so much.

But of course, as we all know, life and Maya never really got along. So every time Maya was just a little bit happy, life just had to throw her a curveball. The door opened and two girls in their mid-twenties walked in. Maya's back was turned to them so she didn't notice until they called her name. "Maya? Is that you?"

The blonde turned around. It was the two girls from the dorm party two years ago. She couldn't remember their names, and she was even more shocked that they remembered hers. They were really nice to her four years ago and she liked them. But they also knew how creepy crazy she was for Josh, who was not so coincidentally sitting across from her right now. She could already feel the oncoming doom as the girls walked over to their table, "Hey how are you guys?"

"We're great, how are you doing! Are you a student at NYU now?" the brunette one said. God, Maya really wished she remembered their names.

"Yeah I am actually. What about you guys?"

"Jasmine and I are both grad students now." the asian one chimed. Well at least that's one mystery person solved.

"Cool that's awesome. Wow, to be honest, I can't believe you guys still remember me." Frankly, she was really hoping they wouldn't. That really wasn't one of her most glorious nights after all.

"Of course we do! You are still the bravest 14 year old girl we've ever met. Except you're not 14 anymore are you?"

Maya nodded, "Nope, guess I'm not."

Jasmine looked at Josh, "Yeah Josh, guess she's not." she smirked sarcastically. These two were still playing matchmaker.

"Okay, I get it. Thank you, for once again deciding my life more me."

"You're welcome." Jasmine gave Maya a pat on the shoulder before they both turned and walked away towards the ordering line. Maya smiled as she watched them walk away without another word, not really sure whether she should be mad at them or be thanking them. Sure they made things a little bit awkward, but they were certainly good at pushing things along.

When Maya turned back around, Josh was looking at her with a grin, "What?"

"They're right you know. You really aren't 14 anymore." He knew that, he knew that all too well. He watched her grow year after year, every time he saw her she was more beautiful.

"No, no I'm not Josh. So you can't use age as a reason to avoid us anymore." The coy smirk on Maya's face that Josh was all too familiar with was menacing.

"No, I suppose I can't. And I've been thinking, how 'bout we try this? "

"Boyfriend and girlfriend right now."

Josh rolled his eyes, "No."

"Boyfriend and Girlfriend eventually."

He paused for a while, silent just like the first time she asked him at the ski lodge. She stared at him, gesturing for him to give her some sort of answer. He sighed, "Maybe. It's definitely a maybe." Her blue eyes twinkled again. Hope was a good look on Maya, whether she liked to admit it or not. "You really still want us to happen don't you?"

"I like you Josh. There's never been anyone else." She told him, staring right in his eyes, never wavering, never backing down.

"I like you too. But I don't think now is the right time."

She sighed, there was always a 'but' involved, "So when is the right time?"

"Well, remember when I first started college? How it wasn't exactly easy for me?

She nodded, "Yep, and you were Schnoopaloop's roommate."

"I just think, right now, you're just starting the next phase in your life. Things are going to change, things you might not be ready for. And it's going to be even harder because now, Riley's not here either. So I don't think it's the right time to start anything between us. Once you get settled in, then maybe we'll talk about it. How's that sound?"

She nodded. This was Josh, always looking out for her. And even though she didn't really agree with his thought process, she appreciated it. At least he cared enough to consider her circumstances. So she didn't argue his point; Maya just held out her hand across the table, the same way she always would, "Someday?"

He grinned and took her hand. "Someday." They shook on it, their promise to each other. And once again, he might have let her hold onto his hand a little too long.

* * *

Next chapter gets slightly more dramatic a promise. Still rebuilding the base in these first two chapters. I'm planning three more for this story and then it's a wrap.

R and R pls and TY


	3. Chapter 3

The rest of the semester continued much like her first day. Maya savored the few minutes she had with Josh every Monday and Wednesday before her class. Some days, they would grab lunch together; some days there were other things going on. But she was happy. She saw more of him and they had gotten much closer. Only it was as just friends. That part she wasn't delighted about. But to be able to see him smile 2 days out of the week, she'll take it. After about a month, she was tempted to ask about their 'someday' again but Josh was right, college was hard to get used to. Every time Maya felt like she was finally settled in, some professor would slam her with another assignment or a midterm. So just like that, she let the time pass until before she knew it, it was almost the end of the semester.

It was the Monday before the Thanksgiving break. It was starting to get too cold to wait on the bench outside her building but Maya didn't care. Not even a blizzard could stop her from seeing Josh. That part of her hasn't grown up yet.

But today was a little different. She didn't see Josh first. Instead, she saw Carter walking up towards her. Carter was in her class, and they had worked on a couple of projects together. And… he was also annoyingly hot. Not quite Josh level hot but definitely a close second. And it pissed Maya off, a lot. His dimply smile and blue eyes, he looked like a slightly younger Luke Benward only blonder. She had been pretty good about keeping her control around other guys for the last four and half years but Carter, he made it very difficult to stay tamed sometimes.

 _Ah no, he's coming up to me, why is he coming up to me. He's not supposed to be doing that._ She kept her head down, buried in her sketch book pretending not to notice; hoping it would deter him from talking to her. "Hey," Carter said with a low voice.

 _Damn it_. She looked up and gave him a smile trying to hide her bitterness. "Hi,"

Carter smirked, feeling the chill in Maya's greeting, he always loved a challenge. "You're always sitting out here before class, why?"

"I don't know, just my thing I guess."

"Not waiting for someone are you?" Carter raised an eyebrow at her.

"No." She lied, not just to hide the fact that she was kind of a creepy stalker who's liked the same guy for four years but also to try and convince herself. She reminded herself again, she's not here for Josh. She's here for herself.

"Good, that means you wouldn't mind if I sat down right?"

And right on cue, Josh came swinging around the corner. He looked up to see Maya sitting on the bench, where she always was. It was something that he could always depend on; although he wasn't really sure when he began to depend on others to be there for him. But today, there was someone else on the bench with her. He was blonde and buff and as much as Josh would hate to admit it, a threat. As quickly as he came around the corner, he stepped back behind it, watching them from afar. After all that's what Joshua Matthews does, he watches stuff.

Even after Carter sat down, Maya continued to sketch, not looking up at the boy next to her, not talking to him at all. But just because she didn't want to pay him any attention, that didn't mean Carter wasn't going to try to take it. "So I was wondering, do you want to catch a movie Saturday night?" He blurted

And despite all her efforts to not pay him any mind, this she had to look up for. "Sorry what?"

"Do you want to go see a movie with me on Saturday?"

"You mean like a date?"

"Yes," He nodded, "Like a date."

Maya thought about it for a second, about her long game and her 'someday' handshake. Nowhere in the rules did it say she couldn't go on dates with other people. She could've said yes. She could've… until she saw Josh peeking out from behind the corner of the building. There he was again, watching stuff. She looked back at Carter who was eagerly awaiting her answer. She held back the giggle; Josh was not so subtlety glaring at the back of Carter's head with laser beam eyes. "Sorry but I can't."

"You're busy that day?"

"Yeah, I am. Sorry." It was better this way. Maya already knew what would have happened if she had gone out on a date with him anyway. She would have just spent the whole time thinking about Josh. That's not fair to Carter. It was better to turn him down.

"Oh okay. So how about next week?"

 _Jeez dude, take a hint._ Maya laughed. "Still busy."

He chuckled, "You just don't want to go out with me, do you?"

"Gee, was it that obvious?"

"I'll be honest I don't think I've ever been shot down like that before." He smirked and that expression made Maya understand why he was never turned down before. Damn the boy was hot.

Maya laughed. "Well I'm told there's a first for everything."

"Okay, okay, hint taken," Carter stood and began to turn towards the building, "But hey, if you change your mind, let me know?"

"Will do."

"See you inside." And with that, another nice boy walked through the door. Maya sighed. Carter's really was a nice guy… she probably would have just ended up pouring a smoothie on his head.

"Who's that?" Josh appeared out of nowhere; his voice suddenly appearing made Maya jump in her seat. One second he was behind the corner of the building, the next he was already standing next to her and she never saw him coming. _Jesus what are you? James Bond?_

"Who's what?"

Josh pointed at the doorway as Carter disappeared behind it, his death glare not letting up and not once turning to look at Maya. "That one, that one right there; who is that?"

"Who Carter? He's just a guy I have class with." She tried to blow it off.

"Yeah, what were you guys talking about?"

"What is this Boing, an interrogation?" She raised a teasing eyebrow. What's this in his tone? Jealously?

He caught himself. "Just wondering," He shrugged. "You don't have to tell me." He played it off nervously, turning his head away but still looking at her out of the corner if his eye.

Maya chuckled. How cute. So she told him bluntly, "He asked me out."

His eyes widened, "What like on a date?"

"Yeah, pretty sure." She nodded.

"Oh really?"

"Yep,"

"When?"

"Saturday, after Thanksgiving."

"Oh yeah." He stuck his hands in his jean pockets, he couldn't look her in the eyes when he said, "Well, that's cool, have fun on your date." Mumbling just loud enough for her to hear. And without another word or look, he turned and walked away.

It took his boy brain a few moments to completely grasp what he had just said, what he has just done. He just told Maya to have fun on her date…with another guy. Why did he say that? And what was she thinking, accepting dates with other people anyway? Josh thought they had an official-unofficial thing going. After all they had been through, how could she do that to him? _Shit._ He stopped dead in his tracks; the guy walking behind him in the hall slammed right into him, "What the hell dude!" But Josh didn't even notice. He was only focused on one thing, his new revelation, _shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!_ She never told him if she actually agreed to the date or not! He didn't even give her the change to say before walking away. He just assumed she said yes because… well because that guy was a freak! No girl would say no to something that perfect! She must've said yes! Right? That's what he wanted to believe, because he made if feel a lot less bad than if she had said no.

Josh took his usual seat in his psychology class, **The Study of Human Decision Making**. He was even listening to the professor, still drowned in his denial; still trying to convince himself that she had said yes to that date. The professor rambled, "The decisions we make, are usually based on past experiences. We either react well or poorly to a previous experience and when that event reoccurs, we make a decision based on what we know, or what we think we know. But sometimes, this is makes it hard to learn. Because you can't always tell if a decision was good or bad, if a belief is write or wrong. So, sometimes we'll stick stubbornly to our beliefs thinking, well if it was true then, why wouldn't it be true now?" _I like you… There's never been anyone else…_ That's what she said to him on the first day of the semester. So if it was true then, why wouldn't it be true now?

Josh felt a 20 pound sack of heavy duty stupidity hit him upside the head. _Shit,_ he realized, _she definitely said no to that date._

Maya stared at his back, walking further and further away from her, in absolute disbelief. What did he just say? _You must be kidding me. Did he seriously just say have fun! He didn't even ask me if I said yes! What the hell!_ She didn't notice that she was pressing her pencil into the sketchbook so hard that not only did she stab through a dozen of the pages; she also broke the pencil… and the cover of the sketch book. Woops. With her face flaming red and her hair starting to frizz from the steam rising from her scalp, Maya stomped her way into class. Needless to say it was a little hard to swallow what just happened.

She walked into classroom and took her usual seat in front of Carter. She should've known better than to hope. He just assumed she said yes to a date with someone else. Like he never took her feelings seriously, like he had never taken anything she said seriously. Did he just not believe her when she said she liked him or did he not want to believe her? But Maya didn't stay angry for long, because she realized she didn't really have the right to be angry. It was her own fault for getting her hopes up. Instead, she just laughed at herself. How could she have possibly let herself hope for something good like that? Did she go insane? Maybe she's letting too much of Riley's mindset in again because she missed the brunette too much. Yeah, it was her own fault for expecting anything. After all, good things never happened to Maya Hunter, they just didn't.

Class started. The assignment for the students was to work on perspective drawing; what you see verses what was really there. Yeah, perhaps it was time for Maya to get some perspective on this ongoing sort-of-not-really relationship-ish thing she and Josh had going on. Maybe it was time for her to see what it really was and what it is wasn't. _You know what, screw you Life, screw you too Hope. I'm done._ After four and half years of waiting, of trying to win this long game, she was officially ready to forfeit. Maya turned around and knock knocked on the back of Carter's drawing board.

"Hey, I changed my mind. But if better be a spy movie."

Drama, drama, drama, I told you there'd be drama didn't I? Sighs, will they ever be together I wonder. Will I finish this story before Josh appears on GMW again and makes this all not make sense I wonder. R&R PLS&TY


	4. Chapter 4

I know it's been forever since I updated. Sorry, I've been busy.

This is a very dialogue heavy chapter. If you lose track of who's talking, let me know and I'll make additions. I'm just not a fan of writing he said she said after every line.

* * *

 _Please don't be there for Thanksgiving; please don't be there for Thanksgiving._ Since Monday, Josh has avoided Maya like the plague. And she was probably avoiding him too. He didn't see her at her spot on the bench Wednesday morning; granted he walked to class late on purpose to avoid her. She was probably already in class at that point. But unfortunately for him, Corey said he had to be at Thanksgiving dinner, wasn't allowed to miss it. For most holidays, Maya was at the Matthews' household to celebrate, even after Shawn and Katie got married. If anything, it would just be a combined holiday with the Matthews and Hunter families. _It's okay… it'll be fine. If she's there, just… act like nothing happened. Nothing happened at all. She still thinks that I think that she said yes. So it's plausible deniability right? That's how plausible deniability works right?_

Josh must have stood at the door for a solid ten minutes before gathering up enough courage to open it and walk in. _Just act normal, just act normal._ He repeated in his head to hypnotize himself. He swung the door open as he always would. "Hey family!" He took a quick glance around the room, no Maya… yet.

But there was a tall brunette glaring at him with daggers in her eyes. Josh swore he could see steam coming out of her nostrils. "You," She said in a low tone.

"Me." He replied nervously. Maya must have already told her best friend everything. He was expecting as much, there were no secrets between those two after all.

"You," She said again, almost with a growl. Geez, where did his adorable happy niece go? Riley was getting more and more like her mother every day.

"Me."

"Bay window," She hand stop straight up and pointed at the stairs. "Bay window right now."

He froze. For the many years that he's been coming to his brother's house, he's only had to go to the bay window on a few rare occasions. For a girl's bedroom window, it was surprisingly intimidating and what's more, Maya might be up there. "What? Why do –"

"Now," Topanga turned from the counter towards them, her eyes even sharper than Riley's. At least we know where she got it from.

"Yes ma'am." Josh obeyed instinctively, because Topanga was way too scary to every say no to.

"Thanks Mom."

"You're welcome sweetheart."

Josh rolled his eyes at the scary mother daughter duo. Reluctantly, he dragged his feet up the stairs to Riley's room, with the brunette following close behind. He could feel her burning holes in his back with her flaming death stare. This was not going to be pretty.

They sat down at the bay window. To his relief, Maya was not there… yet. Riley looked straight forward for a few moments, making the tension in the room so thick, you'd have to cut through it with a chainsaw. Her head slowly turned to him, her body not moving; like an owl turning to its prey. "What did you do?"

"What are you talking about? I didn't do anything." _Remember Josh, plausible deniability_.

"Josh," She said again, lowering her tone even more, like a mother questioning her child as to whether or not he ate the cookie, "what did you do?"

"I might have told Maya to have fun on a date with another guy without actually asking her if she said yes to the date or not." He blurted at a mile a minute. _Damn it._ He thought, spilling his guts without a second thought. The bay window was too powerful.

Riley sighed. "Uncle Josh, you're family. So I'm obligated to love you. But I'm also obligated to tell you when you are being a COMPLETE IDIOT!" She screamed and whacked him upside the head.

"OW!"

"How could you do that!" She screamed.

"Do what!"

"How could you say have fun without even asking if she said yes!"

Nervous, Josh tried to defend himself against the accusation, "You didn't see him Riley. He was a freak! Like Lucas level freak, how could she say no to that!"

Riley scoffed, he must be kidding. "Because she likes you Josh, she always has. How could you even think that she'd say yes to another guy?"

He winced, he already knew how ridiculous his reasoning was but it stung when Riley reinforced it, "So… do you know if she said no?"

"Of course she said no, stupid!" Riley whacked him again in utter disbelief. _Why are boys always so dumb?_

"Ow! Would you stop doing that!" He might have whimpered a little as he rubbed the bump on the back of his head. When did his niece become so violent? "And anyway, if she said no then why didn't she tell me that!"

"Because you didn't ask!"

"Is she really mad at me now?

"What do you think?

"Is she coming over for Thanksgiving?

"What do you think?"

 _Crap._ He leaned forward and buried his face in his hands, once again realizing how much he has royally screwed up.

Riley shook her head, both in disapproval and exasperation. "And I can't believe you said 'have fun' like you wanted her to go on that date!" She added.

"What was I supposed to say!" Josh replied without looking up, his voice a bit muffled.

"Oh I don't know Josh. Maybe, 'please don't go on a date with another boy Maya. I don't want you to.' Or literally anything else would have been better than 'have fun.'"

"Alright, I get it. I screwed up! You don't have to rub it in anymore." _But what do I do now?_ He looked around the room for escape options. If he left from the front door, Corey would definitely stop him. And even if he could get past Corey, he couldn't get past Topanga. His only option was the window. "How long do you think I have before she gets here?"

"By my estimate," Riley took a glance at her phone. "5 minutes, 7 minutes at the most."

Josh made a lunge for the window to his right but he was immediately pulled back by the hem of his sweater. "Oh no! You've been avoiding it for four and half years Uncle Josh, you're not getting away this time."

"Riley! Let go!" He tried his best to wriggle free from her frighteningly strong grip. But she pulled back and pushed him down, plopping his behind firmly back into the pay window cushion.

"Josh, be honest with me. Do you like Maya?"

"Of course, I do Riley."

"No Josh, I mean do you _like_ Maya?"

Did he? Even he wasn't really sure how to answer this question. She'd always been there as the friend not just to Riley but to him as well. The ever dependable and caring friend, that's what he always saw her as. But had that changed without him noticing? "I don't know."

"Okay… then how did you feel when you thought she was going on a date with another guy?"

"… Mad. Disappointed… but mostly mad."

"Why were you so mad? "

He remained silent for a moment, pondering her question. Well not really pondering. More like he knew the answer, he just wasn't really sure he was ready to admit it. He sighed "Because it wasn't me."

"So you weren't mad." She nodded with a smirk on her face, "You were jealous."

"I was not – "

"Josh," She cut him off and turned to him with a raised eyebrow; her expression asking the question rather than her words, _really?_

"Okay maybe I was a little jealous."

"But why would you be jealous if you don't like her?" Riley practically sang it, knowing this was the question that would lead this conversation to the conclusion she was looking for all along. She did like being right.

"Maybe because I kind of like her." He turned away, rolling his eyes. It was really embarrassing that his niece was getting the better of him.

"Finally we're getting somewhere." She exclaimed, throwing her arms up in the air in a hallelujah pose.

He grumbled, not happy with the amount of satisfaction his niece was getting from the torturous interrogation she was giving him. "So what do I do now?"

"Well you should probably apologize for jumping to stupid conclusions with your boy brain."

"I mean aside from that."

"I think that's up to you Uncle Josh. But I know what Maya would say."

"Oh yeah, what would she say?"

"Boyfriend and girlfriend, boyfriend and girlfriend right now."

Her perfect imitation made Josh chuckle, "Do you really think it's a good idea for the two of us to date Riley? What if something happens? What if things don't work out? You guys have been best friend literally forever and she's like part of the family. What if something happens and I break her heart? Or if she breaks mine? I don't want to ruin what you two have with an awkward situation like that."

"Oh please Uncle Josh, don't flatter yourself. Maya and I have been best friends forever. A little boy drama isn't going to change that. It didn't with Lucas and it won't with you either. But as her best friend I'm obligated to say, you break her heart," Riley held a clenched fist up to his face, "I break your leg. And Uncle Shawn breaks your skull."

He put a hand over her fist and gently lowered it away from his nose, "Noted. But I'm just saying what if."

Riley frowned and thought about it, "I'd rather she had the chance to feel happiness for a short while than to be left wondering what might have happened forever. Besides, I'm her best friend, and I will always be here to pick up the pieces."

He smirked and raised an eyebrow, "Well what if she breaks my heart?"

She scoffed, "First of all, that's never going to happen. And even if it magically does happen, you're family Josh." She put a gentle hand on his shoulder, "I'll be here to pick up your pieces too."

"Thank you Riley."

"You're welcome Uncle Josh." She pulled him into a big hug. "Well I've served my purpose here." Riley opened the window to her left and stuck an arm out, pulling a blonde haired girl back in with her. "Your turn,"

Maya struggled to break free from her grip but Riley wrapped her arms around the blonde's waist and pulled in, the both of them tumbling over and falling on the floor. Maya scrambled out up to her feet, all the while trying to avoid eye contact with Josh who was still sitting, slightly awestruck at the bay window. She made a break for the door but Riley's long legs were too quick for her. Before she could reach the handle, Riley was already blocking the doorway. "Riley I don't want –"

"Maya, bay window," She pointed, "Bay window, with him, now."

"Riley, I'm not –"

"Now." She repeated sternly.

"But –"

"Don't make me call my mom up here."

With a childish 'humph' and the cross of her arms, Maya stomped over to the bay window and plopped herself down next to Josh. Without another word, Riley flashed a quick victory smile and disappeared behind the door. You could practically hear the skip in her steps as she made her way down the stairs.

Maya sat there in silence hands clasped together nervously in her lap. She looked forward, not daring to turn her head. In her mind, the gears were turning, trying to think of ways to escape this exceedingly awkward situation. She knew that she would have to face this eventually but she didn't want it to be now, just not now.

Josh looked back and forth, waiting for Maya to turn to him. Although he wasn't completely sure that he wanted her to. The silence was suffocating. He should be the first to speak, he decided, be the mature – older one, "Hi,"

Maya cringed. Now that Josh had engaged conversation, the chances for escape were much lower. To reply or not to reply, she thought. "Hi"

But the greetings didn't help. Silence fell again and the tension in the room was so thick, you'd need a chainsaw to cut through it. They both knew this was a beast they needed to confront but neither wanted to be the one to make the charge. Especially not since that person usually ended up dead. _Just come out and say it Joshua Matthews, be a man._ "I'm really sorry Maya; I shouldn't have assumed you said yes without asking." He finally managed to blurt out. Still he didn't have the courage to turn and look at her.

She pursed her lips together. At least he apologized, right? That was a good start. It's not like she was expecting anything more. So why did she still have the tight knot of disappointment in her chest throbbing with pain. "It's okay, I'm over it."

"Really Maya, I'm sorry."

"I said I'm over it Josh. It's fine." _Please drop it, drop it before I get mad._

He turned to face her, hoping it would prompt her to do the same. But she didn't turn to him, she couldn't. "But I should have asked."

"So why didn't you ask?" She finally turned and looked up at him, straight in the eye. He may be taller than her in reality but Josh felt like the combination of sorrow and anger boiling in her eyeballs made it feel more like she was towering over him at that moment.

"Well I might have been mildly intimidated by the fact that his shoulders were 4 inches broader than mine and his biceps were 3 inches bigger." He admitted sheepishly. Josh was never very good at admitting to his own insecurities. "Why did you say no?"

She scoffed. "I thought you were supposed to be good at observing people."

Josh rolled his eyes, "Just tell me."

Maya sighed, "Because I like you Josh, it's you I like, it always has been." She turned away to hide the blush she couldn't stop from creeping onto her pale cheeks. "And for whatever reason, me liking you makes me do stupid stuff like saying no to a date with a really hot guy."

"You think he's hot?"

"Josh, that's not the point."

"I guess all my life I've been so busy watching people. I never really took a good look at myself. And I didn't realize how jealous I'd be seeing you with another guy."

She raised an eyebrow, "You were jealous?"

"Yeah," He sighed, still finding it difficult to admit that he was indeed jealous. It was so un-cool, "I didn't realize it until Riley whacked me upside the head a couple of times but yeah, I was just a little jealous."

"Why?"

"Because I like you Maya; and I don't mean just as a friend that I want to have in my life, but the other way too."

She froze. It took a few moments for his words to register. The silence was making Josh sweat a little. Finally, she came out of her trance. "Say that again."

"What, you didn't understand?"

"No I understood. Say it again. Say it fifty times, say it in French."

"You heard me the first time."

"I did..." She nodded. And then, you guessed it, silence filled the room once again. This is always the hardest part isn't it? Finding what to say after the confession portion is settled and done. This time Maya spoke first, "So what now?" Josh smiled. He turned to her and held out his hand for her to shake, the same way he always wood when they parted ways before. She looked at the hand, not sure if she should be amused or infuriated. Perhaps the proper word was exasperated. "Not this again! Are we seriously still playing the long game?"

"No Maya, I think… I think this time it's safe to say you've won the long game." She smiled, took his hand and shook it gently; they're silent promise to each other. But this time, Josh held onto that hand tightly, refusing to ever let go of it again.

* * *

I know, I know. Everyone was expecting Maya to actually go on that date with Carter and then Josh showing up during it and blah, blah, blah, big fight scene. But hey, that's why they call it a plot twist. Besides, I had to fit the bay window in somehow; otherwise it wouldn't be a GMW story now would it.


End file.
